Chapter 40 – Music
Before experiencing a headache himself, Xia Lu Nong never imagined that a simple headache could cause so much suffering.
The whole cat slumped, curling up on Kong Zhi’s lap, mewing miserably, his emerald eyes filled with tears. He looked at his brother one moment, then at Kong Zhi the next, tugging at their heartstrings.
Kong Zhi gently stroked his fur, lowering his head to look at him seriously. His black pupils were calm, as if trying to give Xia Lu Nong strength.
Xia Lu Nong could feel his fur being smoothed, like a massage.
Especially with Kong Zhi’s long fingers, warm yet slightly cool, massaging him, creating a tingling sensation.
Xia the Cat rubbed his head against Kong Zhi’s hand, letting out a soft “Mew—”.
The stroking made him feel a little better, but it wasn’t enough. He hoped for a deeper massage.
From the driver’s seat, Xia Huo Qu heard his whining and frowned, saying in a deep voice, “Hang in there a little longer. We’ll be at the base in two hours. Once we get there, Dr. Ou will take a look at you.”
“Mew—” Xia the Cat rested his chin on Kong Zhi’s lap, his tail flicking weakly.
Two hours seemed like forever.
Seeing him like this, Kong Zhi suddenly said, “Let me play you a tune.”
Xia the Cat looked up, his tear-filled eyes showing confusion.
Without explaining, Kong Zhi took a black box from his bag under the seat.
Curious, Xia the Cat inched forward to look inside the box.
Inside were several silver metal tubes.
Kong Zhi quickly assembled the tubes into a long flute with a slightly strange shape.
He stroked the cat once more, then held the flute with both hands, placing it to his lips to test the sound before he began to play.
As soon as the air flowed into the flute, clear, melodious notes began to fill the vehicle, fluttering like wings.
Xia the Cat froze, tilting his head to look at Kong Zhi.
The soothing, beautiful melody seemed to pierce straight into his soul, and for the first time, he found instrumental music so captivating.
It wasn’t just Xia Lu Nong who was stunned; Xia Huo Qu and the others were too. The teenagers in the truck fell silent.
A peaceful feeling washed over everyone, as if they were all immersed in the music.
As Xia Lu Nong listened, his headache began to ease without him realizing it.
His paws gently clung to Kong Zhi’s clothes, and before long, he fell asleep.
The truck continued to move forward, accompanied by the melody.
Perhaps because the music was so calming, Xia Huo Qu didn’t drive as fast, and the truck moved smoothly.
Kong Zhi kept playing, and Xia Lu Nong slept soundly on his lap, his fluffy little belly rising and falling, looking incredibly cute.
He didn’t wake up even when they arrived at the base.
Xia Huo Qu carried him out of the truck, glancing around the base.
In the past few days, the base had suffered a lot of damage due to massive earthquakes and tsunamis, especially the sections of the Great Wall on the mountain tops, which had collapsed in several places.
They had noticed this while driving back.
Cai Zi Ming, who had come to greet them, noticed Xia Huo Qu’s gaze and said, “We’re working on repairs. At most, it’ll be fixed by the day after tomorrow. We’ve already arranged patrols.”
Yan Xi Nian asked gravely, “Any incidents?”
“Nothing serious. The night of the earthquake, dozens of mutant snakes and other small mutant beasts slipped into the base. Fortunately, no one was asleep, so no major damage was done.”
Cai Zi Ming explained, “We’ve been busy repairing the Great Wall and checking for safety hazards these past two days. We didn’t have time to organize a search party to look for you. We were planning to do it tomorrow, but thankfully, you made it back in time.”
As he spoke, Cai Zi Ming’s eyes reddened, feeling guilty for not being able to spare the manpower to rescue them sooner.
Yan Xi Nian patted his shoulder. “You’ve done well by keeping the base secure.”
Hearing this, Chai Zi Ming felt even more remorseful.
After learning about the base’s situation, Yan Xi Nian introduced Zhang Shi Hai and his group, asking Cai Zi Ming to arrange accommodations for them.
There were still several empty houses in the base, so Zhang Shi Hai and his team would just have to squeeze in.
Kong Zhi was also supposed to stay with them, but the cat’s claws were still firmly hooked onto his sleeve, sleeping deeply, so Xia Huo Qu let him follow them back instead.
Before returning, Xia Huo Qu first took his younger brother to see Dr. Ou for treatment.
The base had a lot of injured people these days, and Dr. Ou was overwhelmed, with dark circles under her eyes.
After carefully examining Xia Lu Nong’s condition, she said to Xia Huo Qu, “He’s in decent shape, just suffering from an energy overload. I’ll treat him, and after a few days of rest, he’ll be fine.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded and asked, “He still hasn’t been able to turn back into his human form. Is there a way to fix that?”
“No need for treatment. Based on my experience, he’ll be able to transform back in a few days. No need to rush.”
Looking at Xia Lu Nong, Dr. Ou added, “His body is too weak. It’s already impressive that he can transform into a beast. His inability to return to human form is probably a self-regulatory response. We shouldn’t push him too hard.”
Xia Huo Qu let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “Understood. Thank you, Dr. Ou.”
“It’s my duty,” Dr. Ou replied as she transferred some energy into Xia Lu Nong, confirming that there were no further issues before asking, “How have you been these past few days?”
“Thanks to Xiao Nong’s warning, we didn’t encounter any real danger, and we met up with some friends from other bases.”
Xia Huo Qu took Xia the Cat from Kong Zhi’s arms, then pushed Kong Zhi lightly on the shoulder. “This kid is from another base. Dr. Ou, could you check on him too? I think his right side is injured.”
“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
Kong Zhi’s eyes widened slightly as he was about to decline, but Dr. Ou had already grabbed his arm, saying, “Let me take a look.”
The healing energy circled through Kong Zhi’s body. Before he had a chance to speak, Dr. Ou frowned and said seriously to Xia Huo Qu, “Two of his ribs are fractured.”
Xia Huo Qu had thought it was just a bruise on his side, but hearing it was a fracture, he looked at Kong Zhi with surprise.
He hadn’t expected him to endure so much pain.
Kong Zhi himself was also startled by this diagnosis, his face showing surprise.
After finishing her examination, Dr. Ou instructed him, “Raise your right hand, sit still, and let me treat you.”
Dr. Ou’s expression was very serious.
Kong Zhi stayed silent, raised his right hand, and relaxed his body, allowing Dr. Ou to channel healing energy into his ribs.
The cool energy swirled around the injured area, and soon the pain completely disappeared.
Dr. Ou withdrew her hand, rubbing her temples. “Young people shouldn’t underestimate their injuries. The energy I injected will help speed up the healing process, but it won’t fully heal in just a day or two. You’ll need to rest for at least a week, and try not to strain the area.”
Kong Zhi nodded.
Dr. Ou then turned to Xia Huo Qu, “Keep an eye on this kid, make sure he takes care of himself.”
Holding the cat, Xia Huo Qu replied, “Got it. Is there anything else we should be mindful of?”
“No, you should go rest. If you still feel unwell tomorrow, come see me.”
Xia Huo Qu carried the cat and led the group back home.
Their house was well-built and hadn’t suffered much damage from the two earthquakes, although some fragile items like pots and pans had broken.
After checking the inside and outside of the house, Xia Huo Qu brought the cat into the bedroom and came back with a set of clean clothes. “I don’t have anything completely unworn, but these are all clean. You’ll have to make do.”
Kong Zhi pressed his lips together. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, I haven’t thanked you yet.”
Xia Huo Qu pushed him toward the room. “Get yourself settled. I’ll heat up some water so you can take a bath and get some rest. You’ll be staying in this room—it used to be Xia Nong’s. The bedding is still clean, and he’s using my room now, so you can stay here comfortably.”
Kong Zhi nodded and was gently pushed into the room.
The room smelled faintly of wood, and the window was open, covered by a thin mesh screen. The evening breeze flowed in, refreshing the air inside.
The room was simple, with only a table, a cabinet, and a bed against the wall. The bed was covered with a grass mat and a set of light blue bedding.
The bedding was dry and had a faint, pleasant scent.
The room was indeed very clean, almost unusually so for a boy’s room.
There was firewood and water in the house, so Xia Huo Qu quickly heated up the water and called Kong Zhi to take a bath. “You can use any of the shampoo and body wash in the bathroom. We don’t have a new towel, but you can use Xia Nong’s spare towel, or skip it if you don’t feel comfortable.”
Though Xia Huo Qu wasn’t usually talkative, he explained everything clearly to Kong Zhi, as if he were speaking to another little brother.
Grateful, Kong Zhi nodded, then after bathing and washing his hair, changed into the clean clothes. He also brushed his teeth before being urged into the bedroom to sleep.
Kong Zhi opened his backpack.
When the earthquake hit, they had fled in a hurry, barely gathering their belongings. The backpack contained only his most important items.
He pulled out a notebook and pen, leaning against the headboard to write in his journal by the dim light of the moon outside.
Once he finished writing, he flipped his pillow over and lay down, quickly falling asleep.
It was the most peaceful sleep he’d had since the disaster, and the deepest, uninterrupted by nightmares—perhaps because of the comforting scent in the bedding.
When Kong Zhi woke up the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.
Looking out through the screen window, he saw the clear blue sky and gentle breeze—it was a rare, beautiful day.
He got up, folded the bedding neatly, slipped on Xia Lu Nong’s slippers, and opened the door to find Xia Huo Qu in the living room.
Xia Huo Qu’s fingers moved swiftly as he skillfully wove a basket.
Seeing Kong Zhi, Xia Huo Qu nodded toward the table where several lunchboxes were placed. “There’s breakfast from the cafeteria. No one’s had time to cook these past two days, so just make do.”
“Thank you, Brother Huo Qu,” Kong Zhi said.
Xia Huo Qu gave a faint smile and returned his focus to the basket.
Kong Zhi went to the bathroom to wash up. As he passed Xia Huo Qu’s room, he glanced inside and saw the large, glossy-furred cat sprawled out on the bed, lying in a position that looked uncomfortable even to a human.
After he finished washing up, the cat still showed no signs of waking, and Xia Huo Qu didn’t seem to mind. He just urged Kong Zhi to eat breakfast.
Without a word, Kong Zhi opened one of the lunchboxes and saw that each contained cabbage, sweet potato, rice balls, and a small scoop of pickled radish.
He took one of the lunchboxes and began eating.
Sitting on a low stool near the sofa, Xia Huo Qu continued weaving the basket, both of them in the same room but not engaging in conversation, without feeling awkward.
Soon, Kong Zhi finished eating and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes on his own.
Xia Huo Qu didn’t stop him. But when he returned, Xia Huo Qu asked, “Are you interested in staying at our base?”
